The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: cfegower on October 31, 2014, 05:13:29 pm
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Hello, we have 17 chickens, with a mobile coop, and the run is made of 6 heras fencing panels _ just wondering about an electric fence option- be easier to move and give the birds a bigger area. Can anyone recommend a poultry electric fence system? We dont have electricity on site- but we do have foxes! thanks Ceri
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We use Rutland Electric Poultry netting with either Rutland or Hotline 12v energisers.
Rutland Nets - [size=78%]http://www.rutland-electric-fencing.co.uk/PageProductList.aspx?SelectedTab=TopTab_3_9_2 (http://www.rutland-electric-fencing.co.uk/PageProductList.aspx?SelectedTab=TopTab_3_9_2)[/size]
Hotline Energisers - [/size][size=78%]http://www.hotline-fencing.co.uk/catalogue/line.aspx?lne_id=e73cc9c2-0c02-4c11-b3ad-669e959d91e1 (http://www.hotline-fencing.co.uk/catalogue/line.aspx?lne_id=e73cc9c2-0c02-4c11-b3ad-669e959d91e1)[/size]
Leisure Batteries work best as they deep cycle and stay powered up for longer.
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Mole valley farmers have a good deal on nets at the moment. I use numax leisure batteries with hotline, Rutland or Gallagher energisers. No fox problems yet but there is some work involved in maintaining it all.
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We use electric netting :fc:
Not going to say any more as don't want to tempt fate but have just purchased a couple more nets. We sourced from http://www.ukcountrystore.co.uk/acatalog/Green-Poultry-Chicken-Netting.html (http://www.ukcountrystore.co.uk/acatalog/Green-Poultry-Chicken-Netting.html)
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We gave up on it as couldn't stop it from shorting and the fox jumped it even when the electric was working..
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I tried electric fencing, foxy jumped over in broad daylight, killed all the chickens and jumped out again. These were released urban foxes though and the poor things were probably desperate with hunger and didn't know how to hunt.
I free range a few dogs with my poultry now and, touch wood, I have had no trouble, though they are shut away securely at night. (dogs as well as poultry!)
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I always cut the bottom 2 wires on our nets as this makes the shorting issue less troublesome. In terms of Mr Fox, we know he is about our pens but so far has not got in. One of our leghorns flew out a while back and we found a pile of feathers in the morning about a foot away from the net, so he, or something is prowling.
I suspect that most wild foxes would try the fence with a paw or a nose first and as long as it is working well, that is probably the last time they will try to breach it. But maybe some are bolder / used to dealing with man made obstacles. My long term plan is to have a boundary fence as well which will be multiple strands of electric rather than netting.